Class Struggle Archive: Extra Credit

High school research papers: a dying breed

The leading U.S. proponent of more research work for the nation’s teens is Will Fitzhugh, who has been publishing high school student papers in his Concord Review journal since 1987. In 2002, he persuaded the Albert Shanker Institute to fund a study of research paper writing by the Center for Survey Research and Analysis at the University of Connecticut. The results were as bleak as he expected. Sixty-two percent of the 400 high school history teachers surveyed never assigned a paper as long as 3,000 words, and 27.percent never assigned anything as long as 2,000 words.

Why was Maryland the only state to stop tuition increases?

[This is my Local Living section column for Nov. 12] I often interview educators and gather data to find which high schools are doing the best job teaching kids. It is satisfying work, with the biggest payoff in visiting...

Why I hope others get to algebra sooner than I did

[This is my Local Living column for Nov. 5, 2009] Sputnik got me into algebra early, almost. The Soviet satellite frightened the U.S. government into approving lots of money to accelerate math instruction just as I was completing eighth...

Is America's best school too good for grade point bonuses?

Note to readers: Thursday the Post launches its new Local Living section, which will include a bonus Class Struggle column each week from me. That means my weekly Thursday Extra Credit column answering reader questions is no more, since...

An Unmentionable Factor in College Admissions

In a recent posting on the comments page of last week's Friday Trends column [Will Advanced Placement Replace the SAT?] on this blog, a reader identifying herself as Crimsonwife asked a good question:...

Should Advanced Elementary Students Be Bussed to a Middle School?

Dear Extra Credit: I am a former Montgomery County public schools employee, a parent of two in the system and a lifelong educator. An accelerated math program is presenting a unique challenge for the whole system. As a parent,...

Older Entries in This Category »

Extra Credit: What Sort of Family Wants Stories Like This?, Washington Post Editors , June 11, 2009

Extra Credit: There's a Place for Cut-and-Paste Learning, And It's Not Fourth Grade, Washington Post Editors , June 4, 2009

Extra Credit: Unorthodox Approaches to Apathetic Students, Washington Post Editors , May 28, 2009

Extra Credit: With All This Weight, What Student Needs an Anchor?, Washington Post Editors , May 28, 2009

Extra Credit: Providing Equal Access to Full-Day Kindergarten, Washington Post Editors , May 14, 2009

Extra Credit: Do Schools Push High Performing Kids Too Hard?, Washington Post Editors , May 7, 2009

Extra Credit: Is High-Stakes Testing Really the Answer?, Washington Post Editors , May 7, 2009

Extra Credit: English May Not Always Be the Language of the Internet, Washington Post Editors , April 30, 2009

Extra Credit: The Case for Stronger Foreign Language Requirements, Washington Post Editors , April 30, 2009

Extra Credit: A Proposal for Restructuring Language Classes, Washington Post Editors , April 30, 2009

Extra Credit: School Systems Aren't Always Educated on Home Schooling, Washington Post Editors , April 23, 2009

Extra Credit: Should State Schools Give Free Rides to Non-State Residents?, Washington Post Editors , April 16, 2009

Extra Credit: AP Vs. IB, Washington Post Editors , April 16, 2009

Extra Credit: Teach to the Test or Not?, Washington Post Editors , April 15, 2009

Extra Credit: Issues With Block Scheduling?, Washington Post Editors , April 2, 2009

Extra Credit: Judging Teacher Performance, Washington Post Editors , April 2, 2009

Extra Credit: Perplexing Test Scores, Washington Post Editors , April 2, 2009

Extra Credit: Students Speak Out on AP and the Challenge Index, Washington Post Editors , March 26, 2009

Extra Credit: Damaging Changes in Kindergarten?, Washington Post Editors , March 19, 2009

Proper Grammar Is Not a Prerequisite for AP English, Washington Post Editors , March 12, 2009

Check Your Assumptions at the Home-School Door, Washington Post Editors , March 5, 2009

Extra Credit: Don't Count on College Credits For AP, IB Courses, Washington Post Editors , February 26, 2009

Extra Credit: Are Older Teachers Too Jaded to Be Effective?, Washington Post Editors , February 19, 2009

Extra Credit: Safeguarding the Standards for GED Testing, Washington Post Editors , February 12, 2009

Extra Credit: Two Radically Different AP Experiences, Washington Post Editors , February 5, 2009

Extra Credit: Finding a Solution to the IB vs. AP Dilemma, Washington Post Editors , January 29, 2009

Excluding Home-Schoolers Benefits Nobody, Washington Post Editors , January 22, 2009

Parent Says Some Things Can't Be Taught at Home, Washington Post Editors , January 15, 2009

The Balance Sheet on Requiring Advanced Math, Washington Post Editors , January 8, 2009

Advanced Math Is a Challenge. What's Wrong With That?, Washington Post Editors , December 18, 2008

Betting Against a Big Drop in Graduation Rates, Washington Post Editors , December 4, 2008

What is Extra Credit?, Washington Post Editors , November 30, 2008